Personal Evangelism for the Pastor

Serving as a pastor can often feel like trying to steer a ship across the ocean while the ship is constantly taking on water. Every responsibility brought before you can feel like a bucket of water you must pour out of the ship before you can focus on the main responsibility of charting the course and manning the wheel. 

Monday morning you arrive at work prepared to chart the course for the week and suddenly a text message asks, “Pastor can I meet with you this week?” You are not sure what this means, but it raises your heart rate and adds a bucket of water to deal with. Before too long another message arrives, “Pastor, my mother wants to know when you are going to visit her at home.” Twenty minutes later the chairman of deacons texts, “Pastor, do you have a minute for a quick phone call?” 

Each interaction feels like more water to be bailed out of the boat before any meaningful energy can be given to steer the ship. Lost amid this onslaught of responsibilities is the time, effort, and energy that should be focused on recruiting more sailors on the ship, i.e. evangelism. 

Why is Personal Evangelism Vital for the Pastor? 

Great Commission Responsibility

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations…(Matt. 28:19).” For a pastor to obey the Great Commission, he must endeavor to make disciples of Jesus Christ. This responsibility is not limited to a one-hour public address on Sunday. A faithful pastor will take the initiative to fulfill the Great Commission by evangelizing lost people in his personal life throughout the week. 

Example to the Flock

A pastor should set the example to his flock by modeling personal evangelism. Several years ago, I heard a prominent pastor share a story of leading someone to Christ in his neighborhood. Hearing the example of that pastor sharing the gospel stirred a desire in my own heart to be more faithful in sharing Jesus. It has been said that evangelism is caught more than taught. People learn to share Jesus, and they desire to share more by observing it in others than just simply hearing a scriptural command.  

Joy for the Pastor

In the parable of the lost sheep, Jesus spoke about the joy in heaven expressed when a lost sinner receives Jesus Christ (Luke 15:7). Salvation brings joy in heaven, and it should bring joy to the pastor’s heart. Leading someone to Jesus will give you a heavenly joy that will overcome the burdens and heartaches of the pastorate. 

Modeling the Character of Jesus

Jesus modeled an evangelistic life. “Jesus went to Galilee proclaiming the good news of God” (Mark 1:14). For a pastor to model the character of Jesus to his congregation, he must be faithful in evangelism. 

Strategies for Personal Evangelism

Recognize The Responsibility

The first step to correcting an issue is to recognize that the issue exists. If most pastors are honest, we would admit we are not the personal evangelist that God expects us to be. There are always buckets of water that need to be poured out of the ship, distracting us from the work of evangelism. The pastor must recognize the higher responsibility of telling others about Jesus. 

Monday Morning Prayer

One of my professors in seminary, Dr. Mark Tolbert, taught us to pray a Monday morning prayer. We were taught to pray on Monday morning for the Lord to put someone in our path that week to whom we could share the gospel. This prayer not only petitions the Lord for a divine evangelistic encounter, but also it sets the pastor’s mindset for the week. Instead of being overwhelmed with buckets of responsibility, the Monday morning prayer helps the pastor start the week with a mindset looking for opportunities to share Jesus. Seek opportunities to share Jesus, and you will find them. 

Brotherly Encouragement

Most churches have at least one member with a passionate heart for evangelism. Jimmy is the guy in my church with this heart. Jimmy drives an 18-wheeler semi-truck for a living. I don’t have many conversations with Jimmy without him telling me who he has been evangelizing. Talking to Jimmy keeps evangelism warm in my heart and encourages me to do what Jimmy does. Having a friend with whom you can regularly talk about evangelism will help keep your mind on the harvest and your hand on the plough. 

Wallet-Sized Gospel Tracts

Our church has business cards with our church information on one side and the gospel on the other side. This business card fits into my wallet and is easy to pull out and give to someone. This is a simple tool that helps open the door for a gospel conversation. 

Celebrate Successes

Sharing positive stories of evangelism will both encourage you as the pastor and encourage your congregation. It is helpful to hear an old story of Charles Spurgeon leading someone to Christ. It is much more impactful to hear a sermon illustration where the pastor shared Jesus with a parent at his son’s ball game last week. Sharing contemporary gospel stories feeds oxygen into the evangelistic flame for you and your congregation. 

In 2008 Lifeway Resources published a document entitled Great Commission Resurgence. In that document Chuck Lawless wrote, “In all our studies at the Billy Graham School of Missions we have never studied a strong Great Commission minded church led by a pastor who is unconcerned about evangelism and discipleship. Rather, pastors who are fervent about the Great Commission produce congregations that share that passion.”¹

Pastor, commit to personal evangelism. Though there are many responsibilities, the Church is not a sinking ship. The Church is a glorious ship with a perfect Captain. The pastor is not the captain of the ship; Jesus is. The pastor has been given the high privilege of leading the other sailors on the ship to plead with sinking sinners to come aboard the gospel ship of salvation. If you are faithful in personal evangelism, your heart will be filled with joy, and your congregation will be filled with a passion to see people come to our wonderful Savior.

1. Chuck Lawless, Great Commission Resurgence (Nashville: LifeWay Resources, 2008), 28.